If you love your car, there is no better summer vacation than taking a road trip. Whether you want to get somewhere with your whole family packed into the car or you want to explore an area carefully, there’s nothing better than taking in the scenery, using opportunities to see places that you wouldn’t otherwise get to go to, and getting to do so in style and freedom. Here are some tips that should ensure that your summer road trip goes perfectly.

Get Planning

First of all, make sure that you plan your trip in advance. You don’t need to decide where exactly you’re going to stay every night, but it’s a good idea to figure out approximately how far you plan to travel every day and what your route is going to be. This means that you will be able to budget more easily too so that you know exactly how much you have to spend each day on food and accommodation. Make a list of all the places that you really don’t want to miss out on seeing, and remember to budget extra so that you can treat yourself to a nice dinner if you want to, or souvenirs, or a night in a nice hotel if all the cheaper ones are sold out.

Get Your Car Ready

If you’re driving your own car, it’s important to make sure that you’ve kitted it out perfectly. First of all, make sure that any repairs are done before you leave. Make sure that you don’t need an oil change, check your spark plugs, and check your tyres. Checking the spare tyre is a great idea as well – you don’t want to get a puncture and then realise that you don’t have a fresh tyre to use instead of the old damaged one. Check and fill the fluids including the transmission, anti freeze and power steering, and make sure that the windscreen wipers and fluids are all in good working order. Check your lights and your battery, fill the brake fluid, and check your shocks. It’s also a good idea to pack a car maintenance kit along with all the other travelling things you need. In the kit you should make sure that you include a flashlight and batteries, duct tape, a tyre gauge, jumper cables, a funnel and a tow rope. You should also make sure that you have a rain jacket, a blanket and plenty of snacks and drinking water in case you break down. Also – rather obviously – you need to ensure that you have your insurance documents with you.

Pick The Right Car For You

If you’re hiring a car, you need to make sure that you pick the ideal car for you and your travelling companions. Think carefully about what terrain you’re going to be covering and how difficult it will be to drive there. For example, if you’re planning to go off road then a four wheel drive vehicle may be important. If you’re travelling with your kids, a mini van may not be a bad idea – the less crammed together they are, the fewer fights they’ll have! If you’re travelling solo then you could go for a sports car like the Nissan 350z. When you hire your car, make sure that you check it out first so that you don’t get charged for any existing scratches, and make up a travelling car maintenance kit like the one mentioned above.

Solo Or With Friends?

If you’re travelling with friends, it’s important to make sure that you all have the same expectations from your trip. If you all have wildly different budgets you need to talk about it carefully to make sure that nobody gets left out or has to worry about how much they’re spending every day. You need to remember to compromise so that everyone gets to see what they want to see. If you’re travelling solo, this could be a lot of fun – people are always willing to chat and go out with fellow solo travellers. Just make sure to stay safe and keep people at home updated on what you’re doing and where you are.

Give Yourself Time For Spontaneity

Remember that no matter how carefully you’ve planned your trip, nothing ever goes exactly the way that you want it to – and in fact, that’s often the beauty of a road trip. Seeing things that you might not otherwise have imagined visiting is a huge joy when you’re travelling across the country in the car, and if your plan and budget are too tight then you won’t have left time, energy or cash for unexpected treats and trips along the way. Fun and spontaneity are the best things about road trips so make sure that you leave time and space for them.

A road trip could be the source of endless fun this summer – just remember to stay safe and keep your vehicle maintained and it could be the best trip of your life.

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